Abstract

FROM THE VEDAS TO UPANISADHS: A JOURNEY THROUGH THE ROOTS OF HINDUISM

*Kasa Aswini, Lella Janaki, Kothapalli Smili, Mantri Malleswari, Chiruthoti Srividya, Kota Jahnavi

Abstract

From the Vedas to the Upanishads: A Journey Through the Roots of Hinduism surveys the formative arc of early Indian religious thought, following the cultural, ritual, and philosophical transformations that shaped what we today call Hinduism. The review begins by situating the Vedic corpus — the Rigveda, Samaveda, Yajurveda and Atharvaveda — as layered documents that combine poetic memory, ritual instruction, and social norms. The Vedic world was primarily sacrificial and communaal: hymns addressed gods, priests mediated sacrifices, and ritual efficacy tied cosmic order to human performance. Over centuries, internal reflections on mortality, knowledge, and the self gradually reoriented that ritual horizon. This intellectual shift finds its central expression in the early Upanishads, where questions about brahman (ultimate reality), atman (self), and moksha (liberation) replace primarily ritual concerns. The review synthesizes textual philology, comparative linguistics, and archaeological signals to show how oral transmission, changing socio-economic patterns, and interregional exchanges encouraged introspective speculation. Case studies — including hymn passages, Pandavas ritual summaries, and key Upanishadic aphorisms — illustrate transitions in language, metaphor, and emphasis. The article also discusses continuities: ritual memory, reverence for Rigveda hymn-forms, and the persistence of ritual specialists alongside philosophical currents. Finally, the review reflects on methodological cautions: reading texts backward from later Hindu outcomes risks distortion; instead, attention to layered composition, performance contexts, and material culture yields a balanced historical narrative. The piece offers a compassionate, student-friendly account that aims to connect the living present of Hindu traditions back to their rich early roots.

Keywords: Vedas, Upanishads, Hinduism, Ritual, Brahman, Atman, Moska, Vedic Philosophy, Ancient India, Oral Tradition, Religion and Culture, Sanatana Dharma, Self-realization, Spiritual Evolution, Cultural Roots.